On July 4th, 2006, I embarked on a quest to become the pre-eminent American portrait painter of the 21st century. This blog chronicles that journey. With apologies to Joan Didion, I call it THE YEAR OF MAGICAL PAINTING.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Eau Rouge

Six days and twelve hours until the first practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, which is held on a circut called Spa-Francorchamps, which contains the coolest corner in all of F1. The famous Eau Rouge chicane. Chicane, while probably technically correct, doesn't begin to do the turn justice. Complex, maybe.

Yes it is.What?Exceedingly complex.Yes it is.

Just to fire you up, here's this ...

As one wag in the comments section notes, they don't sound like this anymore. But that's not what's important. What's important is not lifting. Not taking your foot off the gas for even a nanosecond as you enter the first turn going downhill, bottom out while turning left, come back up the far side, make the right, crest the hill, where traction is at its lowest point, and make the left. Typing it is easy. Doing it, not so much. Doing it without lifting? At 180 mph? Priceless!

Great interview response by James Hunt in '76 when asked how he managed to go so fast. "Big balls," he said.

This, while imperfect, gives you a sense of how fast F1 cars go through the turn compared to regular old raggedy-assed race cars ...